


Let Me Hear You Say

by wooziwinks



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Awkward Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Bottom Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Crush at First Sight, Cute Kim Mingyu, Dirty Talk, Hook-Up, M/M, Pining, Praise Kink, Strangers to Lovers, Top Kim Mingyu, Unrequited Crush, i mean you get the idea right they hook up, mingyu messes with jihoons head, pining Jihoon, soonwoo as annoying roommates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:20:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26106370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wooziwinks/pseuds/wooziwinks
Summary: Jihoon has been crushing on the cute new guy in his building for weeks. He would do just about anything to get this hunk's attention - except of course just open his mouth and SAY something. // hardcore pining Jihoon and sweetheart neighbor Mingyu!
Relationships: Kim Mingyu/Lee Jihoon | Woozi
Comments: 7
Kudos: 133





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> written in response to a tweet from @crazyfor9yu wishing to see pining woozi. oh my friend, buckle up. also biiiig shout out to @jiandgyu for supporting me and beta reading!! <3 
> 
> just so everyone knows, chap 1 is the plot and chap 2 is the porn ur welcome

Jihoon was very proud of himself for not squeaking when the elevator doors opened, and he was suddenly face to chest with Kim Mingyu. 

Well, if he was being totally honest with himself, he  _ did _ squeak, but he was at least proud that it had not been at a frequency Kim Mingyu would ever have picked up, all the way up there. 

He smiled at him as he shuffled into the elevator - Kim Mingyu at Jihoon - and the shorter man felt the corners of his lips twitch in some kind of response as he smacked the button for his floor before he tucked his chin against his chest and tried to physically fuse himself with the back wall, hugging his groceries close.

_ Emergency alert. This should not be happening. Why was this happening?!  _

But of course. It was Tuesday evening. Laundry day for Kim Mingyu. (Not that Jihoon knew that). 

_ Say hi.  _

The floors were slowly ticking by, and Mingyu was rocking slightly on his heels, and Jihoon’s sweaty palms were going to eat through the paper bags he was clutching onto for dear life at this rate. 

_ Say hi just do it just open your mouth and say hi don’t be such a fucking wuss just take a deep breath and open your mouth and - _

Mingyu peeked over at him out of the corner of his eye - Jihoon saw it. Mingyu saw him see it and glanced away again just as quickly, though the ghost of a smile played across his lips. 

_ Say it say it say it say it say it say it say it -  _

“Do you want some help with those?”

Suddenly the man turned fully to face him, kind smile beaming like a laser into Jihoon’s retinas, making him physically flinch at the same time his jaw dropped open to gurgle out a, 

“...H-hi.”

_ FUCK! _

Kim Mingyu tilted his head curiously to the side -  _ like a puppy oh god just like a puppy _ \- and gave a little chuckle.

“Hi! Lemme give you a hand.”

Jihoon stood limply as Mingyu effortlessly scooped one of the bags out of his arms just as the door dinged open on his floor, the taller man leading the way off the elevator before turning to his counterpart with an expectant smile. 

It felt like an out of body experience as the smaller man turned and led the way down the hall towards his apartment, Mingyu trailing along behind him.

_ Kim Mingyu is coming to my apartment he’s going to see where I live he’s going to know which door is mine now maybe he’ll want to come inside and then - _

Jihoon halted so suddenly outside his apartment door that Mingyu nearly ran into him, before flashing another blinding smile as he set down the bag beside him. 

“Oh cool, number seventeen! I’m the one right above you.”

Jihoon knew that. It had really rocked his world the day he figured out that he literally was  _ sleeping under Kim Mingyu. _ Oh, if only…

“Th-thanks.”

By the time he’d mustered up the ability to choke out the thank you it was once again poorly timed in the conversation, but Kim Mingyu didn’t seem to mind. He was still smiling down at him. 

“By the way, you’re Lee Jihoon, right?”

Jihoon’s eyes went wide as the sound of his own name on the man’s tongue rocketed down the length of his spine so fast it curled his toes. He swallowed thickly and nodded, not sure what else he could possibly do at this point besides focus on not falling over. How did he know his  _ name?! _

“Cool! I mean, nice to meet you, Lee Jihoon! I’m -”

“Kim Mingyu.”

Jihoon finished for him. Something flashed on the man’s face but was replaced with another smile, and he nodded. 

“Guess it takes one to know one.”

He winked, then turned on his heel, waving over his shoulder with the other hand in his pocket as he made his way back to the elevator.

“Seeya around, Jihoon!”

Jihoon stared dumbly after the man until he disappeared around the corner of the hallway before spinning back to the door and shakily unlocking it, desperate to get into the safety of his home before his entire body turned to jelly. 

The door slammed into something hard with a  _ thunk!  _ when he tried to push through and he furrowed his brow at the groan he received before finally the door gave way to reveal a pair of bodies tangled on the ground in the entrance. It took him only a moment to figure out what was going on before kicking at the pair with a grunt, scooping up the groceries as he went. 

“You’re  _ spies _ and you’re  _ evil.” _

“We’re your  _ friends _ and we  _ love you!” _

One of the men in the heap wailed as he detangled himself from the other, who snorted as he stood to his feet. 

“Nah, he’s right, we were spying.”

“Thanks for the honesty, Wonwoo.”

Jihoon rolled his eyes as he lugged the groceries over to the kitchen counter to unload, kicking over his other roommate again in the process and earning a bout of giggles. 

“But  _ Hoonie! _ How were we supposed to ignore the fact that you lured  _ The _ Kim Mingyu to our door! Last I checked you hadn’t even choked out a hello to the guy yet!”

“For your information,  _ Soonyoung, _ I’ve said hi before.”

Jihoon snapped, surprisingly convincing considering he was talking about the failed elevator conversation that had just occurred.

“The fantasy conversations you practice in the shower don’t count, my friend.”

Soonyoung practically purred before dodging a well aimed apple from Jihoon with a laugh, slinking back over to join Wonwoo on the couch where the latter had already returned to the game he’d been playing. 

A few moments passed in relative silence as JIhoon finished putting away the groceries and Wonwoo and Soonyoung were sucked into the game, before the youngest finally crossed over to sink into the nearby armchair. 

“So since you guys are evil spies anyways - does anyone have a clue what he meant by ‘takes one to know one’?”

Just remembering the moment filled his abdomen with butterflies all over again, and he practically shivered. But Soonyoung didn’t look impressed. 

“You know you’re a freak for blurting out his name like that, right?”

Jihoon blinked. 

“Huh?!”

“Bro, not everyone steals mail from their crushes to figure out their names then internet-stalks them to find their Instagram.”

Wonwoo explained without looking away from the tv screen. Jihoon stiffened, feeling his face grow hot. 

“He’s - not my crush!”

“So you’re not gonna deny that other stuff?”

Soonyoung slapped his knee as he laughed, undeterred by the bullets Jihoon glared in his direction. 

“Look - maybe my methods were unorthodox but how did  _ he _ know  _ my  _ name anyway?!”

“Uh, probably because I  _ told _ him?”

Jihoon’s jaw dropped open. 

“You’ve  _ talked _ to him?!”

Soonyoung lifted an eyebrow at his roommate like he was kind of an idiot. 

“Uh, yeah? I  _ also _ live here and see him around sometimes, dude. And not all of us are as verbally constipated as you, you know.”

“Oh yeah,”

Wonwoo finally piped up, nodding without looking away from his game, 

“It’s coming back to me now, I think I was there that time you told him about Jihoon.”

Jihoon was reeling. 

“You’ve  _ both _ talked to him?!”

Wonwoo looked away from his game just long enough to lift an eyebrow at his melting down roommate with a chuckle. It did nothing to comfort Jihoon. 

“What did you say about me?!”

He squeaked, suddenly feeling weak all over again, but for entirely different reasons. Soonyoung just waved a hand. 

“Christ Hoonie don’t have a heart attack. I just told him that we’re all roommates and we live on the seventh floor, that’s literally it.”

Jihoon dropped his face into his hands and groaned. He stayed that way a while, long enough for Soonyoung to get bored and start scrolling on his phone, before finally dropping his hands into his lap with a heavy sigh. 

“Then  _ what  _ did he mean by ‘takes one to know one’?”

Wonwoo snorted at the returning question, and Soonyoung sighed, not one to enjoy brain teasers. 

“Look bro, who knows. Maybe he  _ is _ a crazy stalker just like you and was trying to make stalker-buddies or something.”

“Come to think of it, I don’t think we actually told him your last name…”

Wonwoo added thoughtfully, then trailed off to jerk his controller and curse. Jihoon slumped down low in his chair, not feeling at all comforted. 

It was a long while before he spoke again, even quieter this time. 

“Do you think he likes guys?”

Soonyoung looked up from scrolling on his phone to offer his roommate a shrug. 

“I dunno, you’re the one who’s seen his Instagram, you tell us.”

Jihoon slumped even lower in his chair, chin lowered onto his chest and lips set in a pout as he grumbled, 

“It’s not that simple. His feed is all like, artsy… Like black and white photos and stuff… There’s not really any thirst traps… It’s just hard to say...”

Oh sure, there were pouty lip selfies and low light mirror shots, but not the plethora of half naked post gym body shots Jihoon had been expecting to find (and extremely disappointed when he didn’t). (...Though he made due with what he had.)

“Well that’s what  _ my _ Instagram is like…”

Wonwoo furrowed his brow, a little unsure what was being insinuated here. Soonyoung pursed his lips thoughtfully.

“Yeah and you’re bi so maybe that’s what  _ middle of the road _ looks like. On Instagram I mean.”

He nodded helpfully over at Jihoon as if trying to convey the lesson to him. Wonwoo sighed. 

“There’s so many things wrong with what you just said I don’t know where to start.”

Jihoon sighed too, looking glum as he wiggled in his seat to face a little more away from his roommates. 

“Nevermind, it doesn’t matter anyway. Whoever he’s into, there’s no way he’s into  _ me.” _

Soonyoung made a sympathetic noise and crawled over to his sad looking roommate, kneeling in front of him and gently taking his hands in his own. 

“Jihoonie, can you help us understand a little better?”

He peered into the younger man’s face, offering a sympathetic pout when Jihoon finally peeked at him. 

“Do you wanna marry this guy, or be railed by him?”

Jihoon gulped, eyebrows pulling together with sincerity as he answered, 

“Number two first for sure, and then maybe number one second.”

Soonyoung’s eyes glazed over and he took back his hands to start trying to count on them, as if to figure out a math problem. Wonwoo cracked up at the sight, his level finally finished and set aside as he padded over to the pair of them. 

“You’re gonna have to figure out how to talk to him if you ever want number one  _ or _ two, Jihoon.”

He put out a hand as if to ruffle his roommate’s hair but the man batted it away with a grunt as he stood. 

“Whatever.”

Was the only bite Jihoon could muster before disappearing into his room to mope and think about Kim Mingyu, like he did every night at this point. 

  
  


~~~~~~~~~~

  
  
  


Anyways, Jeon Wonwoo was wrong. Jihoon knew he would have to do a lot more than just  _ talk _ to Kim Mingyu if he had any hope of getting the man’s attention. Let alone railed by him - or his hand in marriage. Jihoon’s stomach did a somersault before he stiffened.  _ Focus! _

The elevator came to a stop and Jihoon held his breath as the doors pulled open, finally revealing who he had been waiting to come along. Mingyu flashed a smile down at him as he stepped in. 

“Hey Jihoon, what’s up!”

Jihoon could already feel the heat beginning to burn his ears as he looked his neighbor over. The man was in dark sweatpants that tapered in at the ankle and a loose muscle shirt that revealed glimpses of tanned torso and thick biceps. He was running his hand through his dark hair over and over again, still a little sweaty from wherever he’d just come from, if the gym bag slung over his shoulder was any indication. 

The smaller man steeled himself, unable to look him in the eye as he shoved the container he was clutching into Mingyu’s chest. 

“This is for you.”

He grunted the line he’d practiced four thousand times in the shower that morning, waiting until Mingyu took it from him before shoving both his hands deep in his pockets, still not able to meet his eye. 

“Huh? W-what is it?”

The taller man looked a little bewildered, blinking between the opaque container in his hands and his counterpart. 

“Ox bone soup.”

Jihoon finally peeked up at Mingyu as he continued, 

“Thank you for helping me the other day.”

He was glad he’d found the courage to peek at Mingyu’s face just in time to watch the man light up. 

“Oh you didn’t have to do this! But ox bone soup is my favorite!”

_ I know,  _ Jihoon thought to himself. 

_ Nothing beats homemade!  _ 😌

The caption had read on his Instagram post, beneath a photo of a steamy, bubbling pot of soup. 

Jihoon had stared at it half the night, then spent the entire next day at work in the kitchen, a dozen different recipes pulled up on his phone as he struggled through the steps. He did not consider himself any kind of chef, and was not one to cook. But for Kim Mingyu he could give it a shot. 

“This is really for me?”

Mingyu was looking at him like his invisible tail was wagging. It had been worth the effort, Jihoon thought. 

“Y-yeah.”

“Thanks, Jihoon!”

The taller man laughed with delight, then peered down at him curiously. 

“Were you just -? Riding the elevator waiting for me?”

Jihoon froze, clearing his throat awkwardly. Yes, that was exactly what he had been doing. 

“Um so - did you just come from the gym?”

He quickly changed the topic, not caring if it was smooth or not. There was no way he was going to admit he’d been pathetically waiting around for Mingyu in the elevator. 

Seeming to sense this, his neighbor gave another light chuckle before nodding. 

“Yup! I joined one recently. What do ya think?”

He raised his free arm and gave it a flex. It was supposed to be a joke, but Jihoon sputtered, color springing to his cheeks as he watched the muscle of Mingyu’s biceps work. 

_ I think your arm is as thick as my fucking neck and I want you to use it to hold me down and choke me and - _

He pressed his tongue into his bottom lip to keep from saying anything out loud, knowing he must look like a fucking goof having a crisis over an  _ arm -  _ as buff and toned and golden as it was…

The doors to the elevator suddenly sprung open and another person stepped on. 

“Hey, Gyu!”

Mingyu turned to the man about his age and flashed him his usual bright smile - it wasn’t just for Jihoon after all - as the pair high fived. 

“Hey man, what’s up!”

Jihoon felt himself shrinking into the back wall again, already overwhelmed by the amount of energy suddenly bouncing around their tiny, enclosed space. The pair chattered for a moment, then Mingyu held up his container. 

“Bro you should stop by later, I got ox bone soup for dinner!”

“Mmm, definitely!”

Jihoon’s jaw dropped. That soup wasn’t for this guy, it was for  _ Mingyu!  _ Didn’t he realize this was  _ special  _ soup?! … But apparently, not. 

The elevator finally reached his floor and Jihoon wasted no time in speeding through the doors and down the hall without looking back, even as he thought he might’ve heard someone call after him. 

It didn’t matter, though, he chided himself as he unlocked his apartment door and stepped inside. As it turned out,  _ Gyu _ did that for everyone. 

  
  


~~~~~~~~~~

  
  


“Hey Wonwoo can I ask you something?”

Jihoon was standing on the threshold of the living room, finally piping up to get the attention of his roommate, who didn’t look away from the level he was playing as he responded, 

“Sure, what’s up?”

“Does my ass look really fat in these pants?”

Wonwoo was startled enough by the question to pause his game, turning to face Jihoon and watch as the man turned around to display the area in question. 

He was in a pair of tailored, black dress pants and a black button down shirt tucked into a leather belt, complete with shiny black loafers. 

His roommate looked him over thoughtfully and Jihoon peeked over his shoulder at the man, explaining to fill the silence, 

“One time my cousin got really drunk at my aunt’s wedding and I think she forgot we were related or something because she told me my ass looked fat in these pants.”

“Ew what the fuck is going on out here?”

Soonyoung pulled a disgusted face as he came out of his room, looking Jihoon up and down. 

“You’re a cousin fucker now??”

“Shut  _ up _ Soonyoung I’m just asking about the  _ pants!” _

The youngest snapped with a glare, kicking at the man as he passed by with an antagonising giggle. 

“Look, is my ass fat or not!”

He practically yelled, and it was enough to crack Soonyoung up as he sunk down onto the couch beside Wonwoo, who reassured, 

“Your ass is fat, bro.”

“Yeah, where you going with all that  _ cake, _ Jihoon!”

Soonyoung exclaimed between giggles at his roommate, who dropped his face into his hands with a groan. 

“If I had to guess I’d say probably the elevator…”

Wonwoo pursed his lips, and Jihoon shot a glare at him from between his fingers. Soonyoung, however, seemed delighted by the revelation, clapping his hands together. 

“Oh my god, Hoonie, this is your best plan yet! Not even Kim Mingyu will be able to resist that ass!”

“Will you shut up!”

Jihoon hissed, sending a tentative glance up at their ceiling. It was thick - they’d never heard anything from their neighbors before - but Soonyoung  _ did _ tend to operate at inhuman volumes.

And with that Jihoon spun on his heel and headed for the door, wanting to get this over with before he chickened out on the idea. 

  
  


~~~~~~~~~~

  
  


Jihoon affected what he hoped was some kind of cool expression as the doors opened on Mingyu’s floor, one hand shoved casually in his pocket as he pretended to read one of the posters on the side wall. 

This move was key, because he wanted the man to see his ass from the side profile as he entered. He’d practiced it while riding the elevator to the top floor just to ride it back down, knowing Mingyu would be heading out soon for his whatever-he-did every Thursday night at 7 pm, and would thus be taking the elevator.

He pushed out his ass as much as he could strain it, arching his back slightly to look appealing. Are you seeing this, Kim Mingyu?? 

“Oh, very nice.”

The man stated as he stepped on, the doors slipping closed behind him. Jihoon literally wobbled on his feet, cheeks going pink. That was a little forward, Kim Mingyu??

The smaller man turned to face the front of the elevator again. 

“Aww, too bad.”

Jihoon gulped. Did Kim Mingyu miss his ass already??

He peeked out of the corner of his eye up at the man, finally letting out a tiny breath of relief - or at least understanding - when he realized Mingyu was talking on the phone. When their eyes met they smiled at each other as they normally would, then Jihoon faced forward again. 

Dammit. This was never going to work if Mingyu was distracted on the phone. He had no choice - it was time to bring in the big guns. 

Jihoon reached into his pocket and pulled out his ring of keys as his neighbor continued to provide passive comments to whoever was chattering away on the phone. He fiddled with the keys in his hands for a moment, then let them  _ accidentally _ slip through his fingers and onto the floor of the elevator. It did the trick - the sound was enough to make Mingyu look over. 

Jihoon then took his  _ sweet ass time _ bending over and crouching down to snatch them up again, literally pointing his butt in Mingyu’s direction as he worked. By the time he had straightened, he knew the tips of his ears must be pink. Oh god, what was he  _ doing?! _

“Talk to you later.”

He heard Mingyu wrap up his call, and the elevator descended into silence. Finally, the man above him breathed. 

“Hey, Jihoon…”

The smaller man gulped, hand in his pocket squeezing into a fist as he lifted his eyes to peek up at his neighbor. 

Mingyu was looking him over, and he held still for him even though it felt like his gaze was burning his skin. 

“About this outfit…”

Jihoon held his breath, and nodded once to show he was listening. Mingyu cocked his head curiously to the side and flashed him a smile. 

“Are you a waiter or something?”

Jihoon’s jaw dropped. 

_ “No!” _

He couldn’t believe it. He was reeling as he blinked down at his outfit. Did he look like a fucking waiter?!

“Oh I’m sorry, I just thought because of the black on black -”

Mingyu was stuttering an apology but Jihoon could hardly hear him, feeling like the entire world was spinning. He was an  _ idiot _ he was so  _ stupid _ he thought he looked  _ hot  _ and he was actually dressed like a fucking  _ waiter _ he was going to  _ kill  _ his roommates -

“It’s fine.”

Jihoon finally managed to grunt as the doors to the ground floor sprung open before he scrambled away, beelining straight through the lobby and out the front doors into the night. He ended up crouching behind a bush in fucking dress pants until he watched Kim Mingyu leave the building before heading back inside, defeated. 

  
  


~~~~~~~~~~

  
  


“Hey Hoonie, how’s it going?”

Soonyoung called to his roommate as he stepped into the apartment and toed off his shoes, eyeing the way the man was laying face down on the couch. 

Jihoon just groaned into the pillow he had his face buried in, making his roommate chuckle. 

“That good, huh?”

He crossed over to scoop up the man’s legs, which kicked at him in resistance until he took a seat on the end of the couch and let them spread back out over his lap. 

“Seen any good Kim Mingyus lately?”

Soonyoung asked lightly, testing the waters. 

_ “No.” _

Jihoon snapped. He let it hang in the air a moment before finally wiggling around until he was on his back, staring up at the ceiling with a heavy sigh. 

“We haven’t talked in days.”

Soonyoung pursed his lips at his roommate in a sympathetic pout. 

“Aaw. Well, I just saw him.”

His roommate perked up at that, propping up on his elbows to blink back at him. 

“Y-you did?”

Soonyoung nodded with a giggle. 

“Uh-huh. He was on his way out when I came in. Said he was going to see the new Avengers movie.”

Soonyoung couldn’t help but smile at the way his roommate positively lit up at the information. 

“R-really?”

Jihoon asked, then frowned. 

“You’re not fucking with me right now are you?”

Soonyoung laughed, waving a hand as he shook his head. 

“No way, even  _ I  _ know the limit. He really said that’s where he was going. Sorry your boyfriend’s got shit taste in movies…”

Jihoon kicked at Soonyoung. 

“Shut up!”

Then he dropped back down onto his back, fingers laced together over his chest as he peered up at the ceiling, feeling a little like he was floating. Wow, he really  _ did _ wanna marry this guy. 

Kim Mingyu wasn’t just someone who could obviously fuck him into the mattress - he had  _ taste, _ too. He liked  _ art. _ He could hold a real conversation with him (if ever Jihoon figured out how to do that). 

Jihoon let out a sigh that was dangerously close to sounding  _ dreamy. _ Soonyoung lifted an eyebrow at him. 

“Wow bro, you’ve really got it bad, huh?”

Jihoon sighed again, this time a little more forlorn. His roommate rolled his eyes at the dramatics, but offered, 

“Look, why don’t you talk to him about the movie next time you see him? Show him that you guys have common interests.”

“You say that like it’s so easy…”

Jihoon grumbled. 

_ Striking up a conversation _ wasn’t something that he considered himself very good at. Or even proficient at, for that matter. But the wheels in his head were turning. He had an idea. 

  
  


~~~~~~~~~~

  
  


The next time Jihoon stepped onto the elevator, he was ready for Kim Mingyu. 

Specifically, he was wearing his Captain America t-shirt. 

The way he figured it, there was no way he could just  _ naturally _ start talking to his neighbor about The Avengers. But  _ Mingyu _ could, and if he saw that Jihoon was a fan too, he surely would be prompted to bring it up. 

Mingyu smiled at him as usual as he stepped in, showing his teeth as he offered a chipper, 

“Hey, Jihoon!”

“Hey.”

The smaller man responded, even giving a little smile. He was genuinely looking forward to talking about something he loved with someone he loved, even if his heart was thumping in his chest as it tended to do when Kim Mingyu was around. 

But to his dismay, they fell silent after that. The elevator dinged along in its descent, and Jihoon stood beside Mingyu, who just bounced on his heels, humming slightly to himself. 

_ He must not have seen the t-shirt, _ Jihoon concluded with a little sigh. But how could he get him to see it now that they were stuck in such a small space?

“So…”

Jihoon started, shuffling around until he was facing Mingyu. He shifted awkwardly on his feet a moment before deciding to lean back against the elevator doors, hands tucked behind his back, attempting to appear casual. 

“Um… So…”

He really was just killing time to make Mingyu look at him until he - 

“Oh, Jihoon!”

The man’s face transformed with understanding, eyebrows rocketing up his forehead, and Jihoon smirked, satisfied. 

Suddenly though the doors behind him pulled open as the elevator jerked to a stop, throwing him off balance. Jihoon flailed, the world suddenly seeming to move in slow motion as he felt himself falling backwards, and watched Mingyu lung forward. 

The taller man’s eyebrows were still raised in surprise as he snatched at the front of his neighbor’s shirt. He was trying to save him from falling, but impossibly, he lost his balance instead, falling forward along with Jihoon. 

The shorter ended up on his ass in the doorway of the elevator, propped up on his elbows, while Mingyu collapsed to his knees with a leg on either side of him, one palm planted on the ground by Jihoon’s shoulder and holding him just above the man’s chest, which he still was clutching in his other hand. 

Their faces were incredibly close. Jihoon swallowed, feeling his face grow hot. 

“A-are you okay?”

He stammered, blinking up at Mingyu’s face. His neighbor blinked back at him, looking just as stunned. 

“I should be the one asking you that!”

He finally leaned back on the balls of his feet, releasing the front of Jihoon’s shirt to rub at the back of his neck instead. 

“Sorry, I tried to stop your fall but I ended up falling instead!”

“It’s okay.”

Jihoon responded. 

It was more than okay. He could feel the weight of Mingyu in his lap and it was -  _ doing things to him - _

Jihoon scrambled to his feet, shoving Mingyu out of his lap in the process, before something embarrassing happened in his pants. The taller man stood too, still looking a little sheepish as he grinned over at him. 

“Well, uh - this is your floor…”

Jihoon nodded, not trusting his voice anymore, still too caught up in how he now knew the feeling of having Mingyu in his lap. It was still warm there, where the weight of him had been… It was warm and…

The smaller man pulled down his t-shirt self consciously over his front as he turned on his heel to go. 

“Oh by the way!”

Mingyu called after him. Jihoon turned back to watch the man step into the elevator and offer him a thumbs up as the doors closed in front of him. 

“Nice shirt!”

  
  


~~~~~~~~~~

  
  


For another three days, Jihoon gave up the chase. 

It was just too exhausting for him, and not really going anywhere. He hadn’t crushed on someone like this since probably elementary school, and his tactics of grabbing their attention were still 7-year-old level at best. 

Put lightly, he was feeling glum. 

If someone had asked him a few months ago if he ever liked flirting or dating, he would’ve said something pretentious like he was too busy for silly stuff like that. Above it all. And he probably would’ve believed it, too. But he also would’ve secretly believed that he could do it if he really tried. 

Ever since this new guy had moved into the building and was occupying his thoughts at all times of the day, though, he  _ had _ been trying. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t gain the attention of Kim Mingyu. 

When finally their paths did cross again, by chance - Jihoon was on his way up from the basement laundry room, and Mingyu stepped on from the lobby - he hardly even looked up. 

From the corner of his eye he spotted his neighbor flashing him the usual smile hello, but he pretended not to notice, keeping his eyes locked on his feet. 

Jihoon didn’t look up again until the elevator stopped on the next floor, the doors pulling open. 

An impossibly old woman slowly shuffled her way onto the elevator, taking so long that the doors began to pull closed prematurely until she batted at them with her cane and a curse. Jihoon and Mingyu watched her finally shuffle into place between them as the doors closed. 

But when she turned around to face the front the pair went stiff, Jihoon instantly slapping a hand over his mouth to silence himself. 

Through some unfortunate circumstance clearly unbeknownst to the woman, her long, ankle length dress had gotten tucked into her underwear at a spot in the back, revealing her entire bare backside, complete with giant briefs covered in - for whatever god forsaken reason - little orange kittens. 

Jihoon and Mingyu held completely still, unable to comprehend what they were seeing but also unable to look away. 

Suddenly as if sensing the energy of the elevator, the old woman turned on Jihoon, eyes narrow. 

“Are you staring at me, boy?”

Jihoon’s eyes went wide and he kept his hand over his mouth, not trusting himself to speak without laughing as he shook his head furiously. The woman was unconvinced, shooting him a sinister look as she waved her cane in his direction. 

“You’re not my type, so quit checking me out! I know your kind, only after my money!”

“N-n-n-no!”

Jihoon sputtered, incredulous. Behind the woman, a tiny giggle finally escaped Mingyu’s lips as his face twisted in an attempt to hold it all in. The woman turned on him next. 

“And you!”

She smacked him firmly on the chest and he recoiled, a few more breathless giggles escaping him as he wheezed. 

“You’re a pretty handsome fella, I’ll admit. But I’ve gone around the bend one too many times with bad boys like you.”

She  _ tsk _ ed, then shuffled towards the elevator doors as they pulled open, giving the struggling pair a great view of her exposed backside, kitties and all. 

“You honeybuns stay out of trouble.”

The woman barked over her shoulder at the pair before the elevator doors pulled closed once again. 

As soon as they were alone again, they both doubled over in laughter. 

“Oh my god! Oh my god!”

Mingyu wheezed, arms wrapping around his middle. Jihoon desperately clutched at him for support as he screamed out his laughter, slapping at the man’s chest and shoulder. 

They laughed themselves breathless all the way up to Jihoon’s floor, finally cracking their eyes open to watch the doors pull open and realizing that they were clinging to each other. 

Jihoon stepped back and tilted his face up towards the ceiling, eyes closed, looking exhausted as he gulped in a lungful of air. Mingyu suffered another bout of giggles as he watched the man. 

“Jihoon, thank god I had you here to witness that.”

The smaller man broke into a grin all over again, nodding in agreement. The doors began to pull closed and Mingyu put his foot out to stop them, then pressed a hand to the small of his neighbor’s back. 

“I-I’ll walk you home. I’m afraid you won’t make it if I don’t…”

Jihoon cracked an eye open to grin lazily at the man, admitting, 

“My entire body’s jelly, I don’t think I’ve ever laughed that hard in my life…”

He allowed the taller man to guide him off the elevator, the pair setting off down the hallway together, still letting out the occasional giggle.

When they reached Jihoon’s door he pulled out his keys and unlocked it before turning a little uncertainly back towards his neighbor, unsure what to say. 

“Um…”

“You know, I used to think you didn’t know much Korean or something.”

Mingyu spoke instead, eyeing him with the ghost of a smile still on his lips. Jihoon blinked up at him, bewildered. 

“H-huh?!”

“You used to be so quiet!”

The taller man exclaimed, before softening again. 

“You’re  _ still  _ so quiet.”

Jihoon pursed his lips at that, not sure how to explain himself, and Mingyu cocked his head to the side. 

“But we’re friends, right?”

The smaller man dropped his gaze down to his feet, voice small as he responded, 

“Yeah.”

“Great!”

A hand fell on Jihoon’s shoulder, warm and firm and everything he ever wanted it to be. Then it fell away again, and Mingyu turned away too, offering a wave as he headed back down the hall. 

“Seeya later, honeybun!”

Jihoon stepped into his apartment without watching the man go, gaze still focused on the floor as he toed off his shoes. 

Somewhere nearby, he heard Soonyoung whistle sympathetically. 

“Friendzoned, huh…”

“Shut up.”

Jihoon responded as he beelined for his bedroom, and the watery wobble to his voice was enough to shut Soonyoung up in a way that no yelling ever could. 

  
  


~~~~~~~~~~

  
  
  


It was the day the preview for the new Avengers movie came out - Jihoon remembers it clearly.

He hadn't quite made it home by the time it dropped and ended up pulling it up on his phone in the lobby as he waited for the elevator, glued to the explosions and fighting on the little screen as he stepped on.

Oh man. This was going to be the most epic part in the installation yet. How did they manage to outdo themselves every single time?!

Jihoon hit repeat on the video and watched it all through again as the elevator doors pulled open and he stepped off, explosion noises echoing off the hallway walls back at him as he made his way to his apartment door.

_ I wonder if Soonyoung is back from dance practice yet, _ he wondered to himself as he pulled out his keys to unlock the door. If he wasn't, Jihoon would have the apartment to himself to watch the trailer again on the television. 

He fiddled with the keys for a moment then frowned, stepping back a bit. For some reason his key wasn't fitting in the lock. 

Jihoon shuffled through his keychain but this was definitely the correct one, being an entirely different color and shape from the others. 

He peered up at the door: number 17. He looked up and down the familiar hall. He was definitely in the right place.

Scratching at the back of his head in confusion, he finally decided he had no choice but to knock on the door and hope Soonyoung was home after all. 

Jihoon knocked and waited, pocketing his keys and crossing his arms. 

Finally the door handle turned and pulled open - but it was not Soonyoung who answered the door. 

Jihoon blinked in bewilderment up at the complete stranger that answered his apartment door. 

He was tall -  _ extremely tall _ \- and golden skinned with dark curls and thick arms displayed in a loose fitting tank top, the muscle of his bicep flexing as he gripped the door handle. His eyes were chocolate brown and round, peering down at Jihoon curiously from where he was planted in the doorway.

The man pouted his plump, pink lips at him, and Jihoon instantly felt his stomach twist into knots. He wasn't sure what he was more desperate to know first:  _ Why _ was this stranger in his apartment, or why was he so  _ hot?! _

"Oh hi, can I help you?"

His voice was higher than Jihoon had expected, light and sweet in a way that didn't match the biceps, but it only served to make his chest tighten even more. 

The man tilted his head to the side inquisitively, and suddenly Jihoon was reminded of a puppy. A really, really sexy puppy… Wait, what the fuck was he thinking?!

A door opening to his right shook Jihoon from his thoughts and he blinked over to watch a young woman step out of the next apartment over, heading off down the hall with a toddler squirming in her arms. 

That certainly wasn't the old man that lived next door to Jihoon. 

Suddenly it all clicked into place: he must have gotten off the elevator on the wrong floor. 

Which meant this man was not actually some sort of sexy, stupid burgalor. Jihoon was actually just a big idiot who had been too distracted by Captain America's pecks to ride the elevator properly.

Jihoon opened his mouth, then clamped it shut again. 

What was he going to  _ do! _ He wouldn't be able to talk to someone this hot  _ normally _ but now he had to explain his embarrassing mistake to the guy??

Jihoon balled his hands into fists at his side, his heart thumping erratically in his chest as he forced himself to peek up into the man's eyes.

"I- I'm lost."

It was the only two words he could force out before his entire face turned red and threatened to shoot steam out of his ears. 

The man's confused expression softened.

"Oh, you're lost? You must be new here, like me! Here, I'll show you to the elevators."

Jihoon was mortified as the man stepped out into the hall and closed the door behind him, freezing up as a large hand pressed into his back before allowing it to lead him along.

This guy thought he was  _ lost _ lost, and probably like eight years old or soft in the head or something. Well maybe he was, for saying something so incredibly stupid to someone so incredibly hot.

"The move-in deals right now are great, right? I think I saw ten other people carrying stuff in at the same time as me. I got a little turned around my first time too, since all the floors look the same. Which one are you on?"

Jihoon was barely able to hear the man carrying on above him through the pounding in his ears but when he suddenly ended with a question he jolted, blinking up at the man as he walked. 

"Uh - I-I um - I…"

"Oh sorry, you don't have to answer! I was being forward."

The guy flashed him an apologetic smile and Jihoon winced. Were his teeth LEDs?! 

The pair came to a stop at the elevator, and turned to face each other.

"Well, here we are! Can you get where you needed to go from here?"

The man looked so genuinely concerned for Jihoon, he wanted to smack a hand to his forehead. Two words and he'd convinced the hottest man on earth that he was a complete imbecile.

Jihoon nodded instead of facepalming, and the man flashed him another bright smile.

"Okay, great! Seeya around, neighbor!"

And with that he turned and trotted back off down the hall, disappearing around a corner. 

Once out of sight, Jihoon let go of the breath he'd been holding. He braced a hand against the wall, actually feeling dizzy. 

Was that guy… Real? And really his neighbor? 

Jihoon took a deep breath. Was he breathing that guy's air right now? 

His heart did a leap in his chest, and he clutched at it through his t-shirt. Was he having a heart attack? Or was this what  _ love at first sight _ felt like?

That had to be what this was. If movies and anime had taught him anything, it was that this was no chance meeting: clearly he and this man were destined to run into each other and subsequently hook up and date and get married and buy a house and adopt a few kids together.

Well, for now he was just going to focus on those first two, but the rest could come later. 

Actually, there was one thing that was going to have to come first: he would have to figure out how to talk to this guy.

But that was okay. There were  _ plenty _ of movies where a couple struggled with a language barrier!

Sure, the actual issue was that Jihoon was incapable of speaking at all, but look at Ariel from The Little Mermaid! Or Tarzan! 

Yeah, Tarzan was probably the most accurate comparison, here. But even  _ that guy _ figured it out in the end.

Jihoon wasn't sure if he could actually pull this off, because frankly, he'd never given it a shot. But for this guy, he was willing to try. 

  
  


~~~~~~~~~~~

  
  


Several weeks and failed attempts at flirting later, Jihoon wasn’t sure he believed in love at first sight after all. Maybe movies were just movies.

The next time he ran into Mingyu in the elevator, he was on his way up from the laundry room when the man stepped on in the lobby. 

“Hey, Jihoon! What’s up?”

He greeted him brightly and Jihoon shrugged, dropping his gaze to his feet. 

“Not much.”

He didn’t know how to feel about Kim Mingyu anymore. 

Maybe he had been a fool for thinking he could ever get this guy’s attention. Maybe it was best if he just quit while he was ahead. He could just stare at his artsy fartsy instagram every night until he died of loneliness, instead. Yeah, that seemed like a decent plan. 

Suddenly, the elevator lurched to a stop and the pair stumbled into each other. The light above them clicked off and they were plunged into darkness, save for the red glow of the emergency box situated above the panel of buttons. 

“W-what’s going on!”

Jihoon exclaimed, fingers still wrapped tightly around Mingyu’s arms where he’d gripped him as he stumbled. 

“I don’t know!”

The taller man responded, sounding equally frightened. 

Suddenly a voice crackled out of the emergency speaker above them:

“Hello, this is emergency services. Do not be alarmed. We have detected a service failure in your unit and are working to repair it now. I will return with further instructions if we cannot fix the problem in under 60 minutes.”

Jihoon gripped Mingyu tighter. 

_ “Sixty minutes?” _

But his neighbor just groaned, detaching himself from the man to slide into a seated position leaned against the back wall, hanging his head in his hands. Jihoon frowned at the sight, kneeling down beside him. 

“A-are you okay?”

Mingyu took a long time to respond, sucking in a deep breath and releasing it through his nose, his knuckles a stark white against his dark curls.

“It’s just - I’m kind of a little claustrophobic.”

He finally admitted, peeking up at Jihoon sheepishly. 

Even in the dark Jihoon could see how uncomfortable the man looked, and it made him frown harder. 

“O-oh, well…”

Trapped in an elevator with claustrophobia? That wasn’t good. He had to find some way to try and help. 

Jihoon peered around the tiny elevator and nibbled on his bottom lip. 

“We just have to pass the time until they get the system running again.”

He concluded. He shuffled a little closer to Mingyu on his knees, trying to sound encouraging as he added, 

“W-we can just talk until then.”

The taller man peeked at him again and offered a nervous giggle, Jihoon unable to help but join in. 

At this point, even Kim Mingyu himself was probably aware of how unable to hold a conversation Jihoon was. But he had to try.

“Can we hold hands?”

The man finally asked tentatively. Jihoon blinked but nodded, then watched as Mingyu took his hand in his own, curling their fingers together. 

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d held someone’s hand like this. Was it always this soft? Or was it because he was holding hands with Kim Mingyu?

Jihoon settled beside the man, leaning his back against the wall and blinking out into the darkness of the elevator. It felt a little safer that they couldn’t see each other this way. He gave the man’s hand a squeeze. 

“I, um…”

What was there to say? What could he possibly say to Kim Mingyu? Sure there were a lot of things he wanted to say, in the past. But he wasn’t sure what he could get past his lips at this point. 

Jihoon dropped his gaze down to his lap with a frown. He wondered if Mingyu could hear the way his heart was thumping in his chest. 

“I-I’m sorry, it’s not that I don’t want to talk, I just-... I never know… how to talk to you…”

“To me? Specifically?”

Mingyu sounded surprised, though Jihoon didn’t dare peek over at him. He gulped.

“W-well… yes and no, I mean I’m not really good at talking to  _ anyone, _ except maybe my roommates, but I just yell at them a lot, b-but also  _ especially  _ you… I just get - all mixed up…”

“All mixed up, huh?”

Mingyu still seemed to be wrapping his head around it, but Jihoon just nodded, throat feeling tight. He felt the man’s fingers squeeze around his own. 

“Jihoon, can I ask you something?”

“S-sure.”

When he finally peeked over at his neighbor, his face was very close. A warm hand came up to cup his cheek, and even in the dark, Kim Mingyu found Jihoon’s lips to kiss him. 

Jihoon melted against Mingyu, leaning up into the kiss to return it eagerly, a relieved sigh escaping his lips. Kissing Kim Mingyu felt like it had lifted a hundred ton weight off of his shoulders. 

When they broke apart, his lips were shiny even in the dark. 

“W-was that the question?”

He stammered, feeling a little dizzy. Mingyu chuckled, his face still close. 

“Yeah, I think you gave me the answer I was looking for.”

“Can we do that again?”

Jihoon gulped, and Mingyu obliged him, closing the space between them for another kiss. 

The smaller man brought a hand up to caress his neighbor’s jaw as he kissed him, then trailing up into his hair to run through soft locks, then down to scratch pleasantly at the back of his neck. He wanted to explore every inch of Kim Mingyu, licking up into his lips until they parted, then plunging inside. 

By the time they pulled apart they both were breathless, Jihoon realizing as he panted that he was in Mingyu’s lap, hands gripped in his hair while the man’s arms were curled around his waist. 

While his lips were still parted, he decided to force it out. 

“I really like you, Mingyu.”

The man let out a breathless chuckle, sunbeam smile shining through the dark. 

“Yeah, I’m starting to see that.”

Jihoon began crawling out of the man’s lap to return to his spot beside him, his bashfulness finally catching up with him. But Mingyu held him by the waist. 

“Wait! I really like you too, Jihoon, I hope you know.”

The smaller man froze, blinking up at him in surprise. 

“Y-you do?”

Mingyu chuckled again, finally allowing the man to crawl out of his grasp but keeping his hand in his own. 

“Yeah, of course! I kinda thought I dropped a hint before, but you didn’t seem into it so…”

“When!”

Jihoon demanded with a frown. Mingyu pursed his lips. 

“Well, I knew you’d been stalking me on Instagram, so I thought you probably liked me. You liked one of my posts from like three years ago, you know…”

Jihoon clapped a hand over his mouth in dismay. 

“I did?”

Mingyu nodded with a shrug. 

“It’s okay though, I was stalking you on Instagram, too. That’s why I said it takes one to know one the other day when I walked you home, I wanted you to know I liked you too… But you didn’t seem into it so I dropped it. Have you… been crushing on me all this time?”

Jihoon pulled his knees up to his chest to bury his face against them with a groan. 

“I’m an idiot…”

Mingyu giggled, nudging his shoulder affectionately. 

“No, you’re cute! Oh, Jihoonie…”

He swooned, but it only made Jihoon groan more. Mingyu reached out his free hand to rub the man’s back sympathetically. 

“You should’ve said something sooner, silly!”

He cooed. Jihoon shot him a look. 

“I just told you why I couldn’t do that… It’s impossible for me to talk to you…”

He sighed, and Mingyu pursed his lips down at him. 

“It’s okay, you just need some practice.”

He giggled. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll let you practice on me as much as you want.”

Jihoon felt the tips of his ears grow hot. Was he hearing this right? It sounded like he was about to be spending a lot more time with Kim Mingyu. His stomach might’ve been in knots, but his heart thudded joyfully in his chest. 

Suddenly, the elevator doors pulled open with a  _ ding! _

The pair clung to each other at the sudden noise, then blinked out into the bright hallway. 

“...It opened.”

Jihoon finally breathed. 

“It’s my floor.”

Mingyu agreed with a nod. 

Not about to waste another second before things got bad again the pair scrambled to their feet and out into the hall, turning back to watch suspiciously as the doors pulled closed again and the elevator rose away like nothing had ever been wrong with it. 

Finally they turned to face each other, blinking down at their hands still interlocked together and then up at each other. 

“So, do you want to come over?”

Mingyu flashed a knowing grin, rubbing at the back of his neck sheepishly. Jihoon missed the darkness of the elevator - he knew he was blushing. 

“S-sure.”

“Guess we can start your practice now!”

The taller man winked at him as he turned to lead the way down the hall, then added cryptically, 

“Make up for lost time.”

Jihoon’s throat was tight as he gulped, following where he was led. He had a feeling he knew exactly what Mingyu was saying. It was something he had been thinking to himself for weeks now. 

Maybe it was for the best that it had taken him this long to get on Kim Mingyu’s radar. It seemed like he was going to be a lot to handle. 

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy jigyuists this ones for you :) also another shoutout to jiandgyu and crazyfor9yu <3

  
  


“Come on in!”

Mingyu announced cheerfully as he keyed into his apartment, stepping aside to hold the door for Jihoon. 

The smaller man stepped inside and peered around. It was pretty much a replica of his own place which - made sense, considering he lived in the same building. Still though - 

“You live alone?”

Jihoon inquired, peering over at Mingyu as he closed the door behind them both. 

He could see into the bedroom closest to the door - it would be Soonyoung’s and Wonwoo’s, in his apartment - but it looked like it was set up more like an office. 

“Yup!”

The taller man answered easily, tossing his keys on the nearby table. Jihoon nodded to himself and turned away. He slowly toed off his shoes in the entrance, his heartbeat already pounding in his ears. 

Was he here for why he thought he was here?

He was alone with Kim Mingyu in his apartment which was way more progress than he had ever expected to make, but now here he was, pulling off his shoes and staying for a while, maybe possibly to -? 

What exactly? Had he possibly misread the situation? It had just been definitively proven that he was not capable of reading the man’s signals so perhaps he had misunderstood -

“Jihoon.”

Mingyu’s voice behind him finally jolted him out of his thoughts and he turned around just in time to be captured in a kiss, the man’s arms curling around his middle. Jihoon instantly relaxed in his arms, relieved that he had read the situation correctly, and kissed the man back eagerly. 

Mingyu surged forward to pin Jihoon against the wall, who groaned up into the kiss, tangling his fingers up in the taller man’s hair and kissing him deeply. 

It was frantic, hungry, fingers and lips everywhere - making up for lost time. Mingyu shoved a leg between Jihoon’s own and the smaller man groaned again. He was hard already, and he felt the man smirk against his lips at the discovery, his own body growing hot all over. 

Jihoon hooked a thigh around Mingyu’s hip, welcoming the friction of the man grinding him into the wall as he kissed him. He wrapped his arms around the taller man’s neck to pull himself closer to him, licking up into his open mouth, hungry for more. 

Finally the grinding wasn’t enough and Mingyu grunted, slipped his hands down to grip Jihoon on the thigh and small of his back before lifting him up. 

The smaller man gasped and hastily wrapped his other leg around the man, clinging close to him as he was carried through the hall and into Mingyu’s room. 

It was a lot like Jihoon’s, in many ways. In fact -

_ His bed really  _ is _ above mine… _

The thought came to him through the haze of lust just before Mingyu deposited him onto the bed, leaving him dizzy. 

Mingyu noted the dazed expression on the man with an affectionate giggle, leaning back against the pillows at the headboard before curling his arms around Jihoon’s hips to pull him into his lap. 

“C’mere, you cutie…”

Jihoon whimpered against Mingyu’s lips as he pulled him into another kiss, the new friction of their thighs against each other making him weak. 

All at once it was hitting him: he was in Kim Mingyu’s  _ bedroom _ \- in Kim Mingyu’s  _ lap! _ Making out with  _ Kim Mingyu! _

He wanted to pinch himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming but he didn’t have to, Mingyu had captured his bottom lip and was nibbling on it, dark eyes looking him over hungrily and making Jihoon shiver. 

“M-Mingyu…”

His fingers trembled as they scrabbled at the hem of the man’s t-shirt, suddenly desperate to see what was underneath. Mingyu chuckled at his eagerness and obliged, leaning forward and pulling his shirt overhead before tossing it aside. 

Jihoon gulped as he took in every inch of tanned muscle, finally able to reach out and wrap his fingers around the bulging biceps. 

He surged forward to capture Mingyu’s lips again with new eagerness and the man laughed again, slipping broad hands beneath his shirt to begin hiking it up. 

“Hold on a minute, you too!”

Jihoon broke apart only for the moment it took for Mingyu to tug his shirt over his head before diving back in hungrily, clinging desperately against the man’s chest as he kissed him. 

“Mingyu… Mingyu…”

He breathed between frantic smacks of his lips against the man’s own. 

“Jihoon…”

Mingyu groaned, the friction of their hips finally starting to get to him, Jihoon grinding the bulge in his sweatpants down against the one forming in his own over and over again. 

Suddenly Jihoon’s hips bucked and he arched against Mingyu’s chest with an open mouthed whine before gasping, nails digging into Mingyu’s shoulders. 

Then he went limp in the man’s arms with an exhausted huff, burying his face into the crook of his neck. 

Mingyu blinked down in surprise at the man in his lap. 

“Did you just -?”

“I came.”

Jihoon confessed with a little groan, hiding his face more completely against his neighbor’s shoulder. 

“I-I’m sorry…”

“You don’t have to be sorry, but - I mean - I didn’t even touch you!”

Mingyu leaned down to try and catch the smaller man’s eye, his own expression still shocked. 

Jihoon turned his face away from him, refusing to look him in the eye as he stuttered out, 

“I-it’s just that I -...! I really l-like you!”

Mingyu was floored. His expression softened, and he rubbed his hand up and down the length of the man’s spine. 

“Jihoon, let me see you.”

He brought his arms up around the man and, after testing that there wouldn’t be any resistance, gently guided him down to lay back on the mattress. 

Jihoon hid his face in his hands as he felt Mingyu carefully tug away his sweatpants so he was just in his boxers, then kneel back on his heels and slowly look him over. 

They remained in silence as he observed him and it made Jihoon shiver from behind his hands until he finally peeked up at the man through his fingers to see he had on a thoughtful expression. 

Finally Mingyu reached out to stroke a thumb against Jihoon’s thigh, making him shiver again. 

“I can’t believe I used to think you couldn’t speak Korean.”

The taller man mused, his lips pursed. 

“And then for a little while after that, I thought maybe you were just a snob or something.”

A smile danced at the corners of his lips. 

“But now I think I get it.”

He watched with patience and amusement as the man below him turned a bright shade of pink from the tips of his ears all the day down to his chest before finally confessing from behind his hands with a groan,

“I just have a huge crush on you and am being a total idiot about it.”

“Jihoon…”

Mingyu leaned down over him to press a soft kiss against a knuckle, and then another, until Jihoon finally pulled his hands away from his face so the man could kiss him properly. 

It was slow and sweet - no longer frantic. When it was over, Mingyu pulled back only enough to peer down into the smaller man’s eyes, tilting his head to the side curiously. 

“I can’t believe you were suffering all this time… If I had known, I would’ve taken the lead. I should’ve kissed you sooner.”

He pursed his lips as he drew the conclusion, reaching a hand up to gently stroke at the fringe on Jihoon’s forehead. The smaller man pouted slightly too as he nodded back up at him. 

“Yeah, you should’ve.”

He agreed, thinking about how much agony it could’ve saved him. Mingyu laughed at that, thumb still stroking gently over the man’s cheek and forehead. 

“I like it when you find your voice, though. It’s pretty sexy.”

Jihoon flushed again, clamping his mouth shut in surprise and making Mingyu chuckle. 

“You don’t have to be shy with me anymore, Jihoonie! Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.”

He crawled more properly over the man to straddle him, boxing him in with his elbows on the mattress and leaning down to trail a few kisses along the man’s jaw before purring in the shell of his ear, 

“You should tell me what you want.”

Jihoon gulped. Somehow it was easier when it was a command. 

“I want to suck your dick.”

Mingyu leaned back to meet him with a slightly surprised, then satisfied smile. 

Jihoon shifted slightly on the mattress, eyes trailing over the expanse of the man’s toned chest rather than meet his eye as he added, 

“I-I’ve wanted to for a while.”

“Well it’s not like I’m gonna say no to that.”

The taller man chuckled, crawling off of Jihoon to instead sit back against the pillows piled up at the head of the bed. 

The smaller man sat up and eyed him a little uncertainly before steeling himself and crawling over to kneel between his legs. 

“You’re hard.”

He observed now that he was close up, reaching out to palm at the tent in the man’s sweatpants and looking a little surprised. 

“You’re one to talk!”

Mingyu scoffed with a laugh at the man who had just come untouched, then observed the questioning look on his face and clarified, 

“You turn me on, Jihoon. Like, majorly.”

Jihoon tucked his chin shyly against his chest, not sure what he could say to such a comment.  _ He _ turned  _ Kim Mingyu _ on? It seemed like a fluke. 

Still though, he’d literally dreamed of this moment for weeks now, so he decided he better embrace it before he woke up or something.

Jihoon tugged at Mingyu’s waistband and the man leaned up to help him pull off his sweatpants, sucking in a breath through his teeth as his erection sprang free against the tan skin of his inner thigh. 

The smaller man sighed, and Mingyu watched in wonder as a mix of relief and dreaminess washed over his neighbor’s face as he eyed the member. 

“I knew you’d have a good dick.”

Mingyu giggled, but before he could ask what exactly Jihoon meant by  _ good _ he was cut off as the man leaned down to wrap his lips around the head. 

Jihoon hadn’t been kidding when he said he’d been wanting to do this: it was apparent in the hungry, almost sloppy way he worked, dragging his tongue along the length and pumping it with his hand to spread his saliva before diving down on the head again.

“Oh  _ fuck _ …”

Mingyu groaned, taken aback by the eager pace Jihoon was bobbing his head down the length of his cock. He brought a hand up to tangle in the man’s hair, who hummed his approval around the length in his mouth, making Mingyu shiver. 

Mingyu used the hand in his hair to guide the man to a more rhythmic pace than the frantic, hungry one Jihoon had set for himself, earning another delicious hum. 

Finally Jihoon pulled back with a suctioned pop, lips red and shining with saliva as he panted to catch his breath. Mingyu reached down to stroke the hair away from his forehead as he observed the glossy look in the man’s eyes. 

“Do you like that, baby? You like me fucking your mouth?”

Jihoon nodded, not quite meeting Mingyu’s eye as he panted, but the taller man still hummed his approval at the response. 

He felt like he still had so much to figure out about his shy neighbor, but this was a start - Mingyu would just have to keep asking questions and encouraging him to speak up. 

“You like me calling you baby?”

Jihoon nodded again, cheeks that were already flushed from his work becoming a darker shade of pink as he panted out, 

“Y-yeah.”

“Good.”

Mingyu approved, bringing his hand back up to comb through the smaller man’s hair encouragingly. 

“Keep speaking up baby, whatever you want I’ll give it to you.”

Jihoon still wouldn’t quite peek up at him but nodded to prove he was listening before leaning back down between the man’s legs. 

He let Mingyu’s hand on the back of his head guide his length into his mouth, bobbing on it a few times. Then the man began shallowly bucking his hips upwards, fucking into Jihoon’s mouth and earning a pleasured groan from the man that vibrated up the length of his cock. 

Mingyu was careful not to choke the man but still elicited a wet sound with each thrust that made his toes curl, whining at the way Jihoon dug his nails into the soft flesh of his thighs. 

The man finally found the courage to peek up at his neighbor from between his thighs as he swallowed around his cock, and the shy look was enough to make Mingyu throw his head back against the pillows. 

“Oh  _ god _ you look so good with my cock in your mouth, baby…”

Jihoon whined around his cock and Mingyu gave one more wet thrust up into his throat before they broke apart, the smaller bracing a hand on the taller’s thigh and looking a little dizzy as he panted heavily. 

Mingyu was panting too, eyeing his neighbor with half lidded eyes as he broke into a knowing grin. 

“You did such a good job getting my cock wet, baby. Do you want me to fuck you with it?”

Jihoon swallowed thickly, the hungry look back in his eyes as he eyed the hard length between them and nodded. Mingyu pursed his lips, bringing a hand up to thumb away some saliva from the corner of the man’s mouth. 

“Can I hear you say it?”

The smaller man hesitated, peeking up at his neighbor. 

For some reason, he was suddenly reminded of when the man had flexed for him in the elevator, asking what he thought. There was so much he had wanted to say then, but never would be able to choke out. It was all so much easier to think than to speak out loud. 

But now he was getting caught up in his desire to do what Mingyu asked of him versus his own shyness. 

If Kim Mingyu asked something of him, how could he possibly say no? If the man told him to jump off a bridge he’d probably go all goo-goo eyed and walk right off the edge. But this was something he wanted for himself a lot more than he wanted to jump off a bridge, anyways. 

“I want you to fuck me.”

It was soft, but he didn’t stutter. Jihoon’s hands balled into fists where they rested on his knees.

It felt mortifying to say out loud, even if he was thinking it pretty much every single moment that he was in the presence of Kim Mingyu. But the man himself flashed him an approving smile, stroking his fingers through his hair again. 

“Okay, I will. I love when you speak up, Jihoon.”

He chuckled. 

“If you had asked I would’ve gladly fucked you right there in the elevator.”

Jihoon couldn’t help but let out a giggle at the thought. It was funny because if Kim Mingyu had asked, he would’ve gladly let him fuck him right there in the elevator. It was only for lack of communication that they hadn’t fucked in the elevator, apparently. 

Mingyu stretched over to shuffle through his nightstand drawer, pulling out a bottle of lube. 

“I’ll prep you first. How do you want to do this?”

“In your lap.”

Jihoon answered quickly, already scrambling up to begin climbing into the man’s lap, pausing only a moment to discard his soiled boxers. He wanted to be close to Mingyu, and this way felt a little less exposed than just bending over on the mattress. 

Mingyu chuckled at the man’s eagerness, adjusting him in his lap, helping spread his thighs a little wider before squeezing out some lube on his fingers. 

It was a little more difficult to do it this way - most guys just bent over - but the way Jihoon curled his arms around his shoulders and pressed close against his chest made up for it entirely. 

Mingyu circled his first finger around Jihoon’s rim, spreading the lube a bit before finally plunging inside. The smaller man sucked in a breath through his teeth but didn’t tense up, allowing the digit to start spreading him open. 

It wasn’t long until Mingyu slipped in a second finger, finally earning a strained noise from the man against his chest. 

He worked his fingers in and out slowly, capturing Jihoon’s lips and kissing him deeply as a distraction as he scissored at the tight muscle. He plunged the digits in to the knuckle over and over again until Jihoon was whimpering against his lips, rocking his hips down to chase the feeling of pleasure it elicited. 

Mingyu pulled away from the kiss with a smirk as he worked.

“You’re opening up so well for me, Jihoonie, from this angle I can really see it all.”

Jihoon blinked up at him questioningly, shifting slightly in his lap as he peered around, trying to see for himself what the man meant. 

“Do you want to see too? Here.”

Mingyu pulled out his hand to brace it against Jihoon’s thigh, easily maneuvering the man around in his lap so they were both facing the same way, the smaller man’s back tucked against his chest. 

From this angle Jihoon finally could see that unlike his own, the door to Mingyu’s closet - situated at the end of his bed - was one big mirror, which he hadn’t noticed before. 

He watched the reflection with fascination as the man reached down and slipped his fingers back inside him, pumping twice before adding a third. He held Jihoon up with his other hand on his thigh, letting him watch as he spread him open. 

“It’s a great view, isn’t it?”

Mingyu growled right into the shell of his ear, breaking Jihoon from staring into the mirror as if in a trance to arch in his arms and moan. 

“I-it’s-...!”

But he didn’t have the words to describe what he was feeling, watching the fingers quicken their pace at the same time he felt it, igniting a wave of heat deep inside him. 

It was somewhat obscene - being exposed like this, helplessly spread open in this man’s arms.

But it was really hot, too: he’d never seen himself from this angle, but now he could see himself entangled in Mingyu’s grasp, thighs spread and chest panting and mouth hanging open with pleasure as the man fucked him open with his fingers. 

The flame was flaring up inside him and suddenly Jihoon felt a little frantic, watching his reflection squirm in Mingyu’s grasp, angling his hips around as he reached down to wrap a hand around his cock. 

“I - I want -”

“I know what you want.”

Mingyu breathed in his ear again, working against the downturn of the man’s hips as he rocked them, keeping the thrust of his fingers fast and shallow. In the reflection, Jihoon could see he was looking down at him with an amused smile. 

“But don’t come yet. I still want to fuck you.”

Jihoon stilled his hand on his cock and turned his face against the man’s shoulder with a frustrated whine. He could feel the hard imprint of Mingyu’s cock against his back as he rocked in his lap, and he couldn’t take it anymore. 

“Then fuck me! Gyu - please fuck me.”

His eyes were squeezed shut so he didn’t see it in the reflection of the mirror, but he felt the fingers stop pumping at his hole and heard Mingyu growl in his ear, 

“I thought you’d never ask.”

Suddenly he was weightless, floating up and up, and Jihoon blinked his eyes open in surprise just in time to see the mattress as he was distributed onto it with a bounce, left breathless by the way Mingyu so effortlessly maneuvered him around. 

He heard rustling behind him and peeked over his shoulder to watch as Mingyu rolled a condom onto his length and squeezed a generous amount of lube over it, pumping it with his hand to spread it around. 

He crawled back over to Jihoon on the bed and lined up with his hips, gripping one with his hand and using the other to guide his cock against the ring of muscle he’d just worked open. 

Jihoon groaned when he felt the man push inside, dropping his head down to hide against the crook of his elbow braced on the bed. He held still as Mingyu began working his length into him, making slow, shallow thrusts and keeping his hands firmly on the smaller man’s hips. 

Jihoon took deep breaths against his own sweaty skin, squeezing his eyes shut to focus on the pleasure beginning to pool in his abdomen. He worked to keep the tension out of his muscles, moving with Mingyu’s thrusts until they found a good rhythm together, panting in time with it. 

The man above him bucked his hips more deeply into Jihoon and he arched as he brushed against that spot inside him, breath hitching in his chest before releasing as a groan. 

Mingyu began seeking the angle with more purpose as he thrust into the man, smirking at the moans and gasps of pleasure it elicited as Jihoon - the one who had been so quiet, before - fell apart beneath him. 

“Is it good, baby?”

Jihoon hung his head with another deep groan, staring down at the way the mattress moved under him with each thrust. 

“Y-yes.”

He heaved out between thrusts, feeling like every inch of him, inside and out, was trembling. 

Behind him Mingyu paused in his thrusting to bring big hands up and turn him onto his back, Jihoon blinking dizzily up at the ceiling until the man’s face leaned into view. 

“There, that’s better. I want to see your face while I fuck you.”

Jihoon flushed at the assertion but didn’t have time to protest before Mingyu lined up with his entrance again, scooping up one of his thighs and hugging it against his abdomen for a better angle as he thrust in. 

He took on a faster pace now, rocking his hips into the tight space over and over again, bottoming out completely each time with the new angle. 

Jihoon gasped and threw his head back, grasping at a fistful of his own hair. 

“Oh my god - don’t stop -!”

His prostate was being assaulted from this position and it made it impossible for the man to hold still beneath Mingyu as he fucked into him, writhing and moaning with pleasure. 

“Right there - oh my god - Mingyu - it’s so good - don’t stop -”

Words babbled out of him with each thrust, begging the man to continue plunging him towards the edge, mouth hanging open as he felt something deep inside him beginning to coil like a spring. 

Jihoon turned his face against the mattress, blinking his eyes open and then shutting them again, too dizzy. 

“I-I’m - oh fuck - M-Mingyu -”

He turned his face the other way now, eyebrows pulled together, looking overwhelmed. 

Mingyu reached down his free hand to stroke the man’s cheek, then intertwined their fingers together, leaning down close as he fucked into him. 

“It’s okay, baby, I’m right here. Go ahead and come for me.”

It was the permission he needed and Jihoon didn’t hesitate a moment longer, gasping and arching off the bed as he came ribbons onto his stomach before collapsing back down in a heap. 

He was still panting heavily when he felt a hand stroking at his forehead and cheek, cracking his eyes open to be met with a fond smile from Mingyu, leaned down close over him. 

“Look at you, you found your voice.”

Jihoon would’ve flushed if he wasn’t already pink in the face, but he was too exhausted to feel truly embarrassed. 

He said all that dumb stuff, but Mingyu still looked affectionately at him: he wasn’t scared off, or going to tease him, which probably was the source of most of Jihoon’s worries, and subsequent shyness. 

His life motto had become simply trying not to say anything embarrassing. But it seemed like… Kim Mingyu liked what he had to say. 

He smiled lazily up at the man, who leaned down to give him a kiss - surprisingly chaste, considering his cock was still buried inside him. 

Jihoon brought a hand up to run through Mingyu’s hair affectionately, and the man shivered with pleasure before asking against his lips, 

“Can I still fuck you, baby?”

Jihoon nodded, then swallowed thickly and added, 

“Definitely.”

Mingyu smiled and kissed him once more before straightening enough to line up their hips, pressing a firm hand against Jihoon’s abdomen as he slid in and reveling in the way he felt himself beneath his fingers. 

He started out with slow thrusts for Jihoon’s sake, the man groaning and shifting on the mattress a bit as he adjusted again to the way his cock filled him up. 

“You’re so sensitive, baby, I love that about you…”

Mingyu praised the man beneath him, pulling him closer by the hips and sucking in a breath through his teeth at the way it allowed him to thrust deeper into him. 

“And so tight -  _ ugh, _ Jihoon…”

Jihoon watched Mingyu’s face as he groaned, face screwed up in pleasure, and realized just how far gone the man was already. He bucked his hips up to meet each thrust, eager to help the man release the pleasure pooling up in him. 

Mingyu lost his rhythm as he increased the speed of his thrusts, words lost too as he whined and moaned his pleasure with each jab of his hips. 

He leaned down over Jihoon, bracing his hands on either side of his head, and the smaller man was reminded of the time they’d collapsed together in the elevator, the way he’d felt the heat of Mingyu in his lap. 

His cock twitched at the memory and Jihoon groaned, curling one arm around the man’s shoulders and the other reaching down to pump at his length, chasing the pleasure. He felt Mingyu’s teeth against the skin of his shoulder, biting down then lapping at the marks his teeth left, his breath hot as he panted against him. 

His hips bucked erratically, and Mingyu dropped his head down against Jihoon’s shoulder. 

“Hah - t-tell me you want it -”

Jihoon turned his face to nudge his cheek against the man’s forehead, gasping, 

“I want it!”

He wrapped his legs around the man above him, locking his ankles behind his back to hold him close against him as he thrust into him over and over again. 

The smaller man increased the speed of his hand on his cock, nails digging into the skin of Mingyu’s shoulder, desperate to send them tumbling over the edge together. 

“Come with me, baby, I want it - oh!”

Jihoon gasped in surprise and arched up against Mingyu as he came, the man finding that sweet spot within him for a few deep thrusts before stilling with a cry, fingertips bruising the skin where they gripped the smaller man’s hips. 

“M-Mingyu!”

Jihoon’s fingers scrambled up into the man’s hair and pulled him down against him, crashing their lips together for a breathless kiss. 

They collapsed together on the bed in a tangle of limbs and kissed until they had to break apart for air, heads flopped against each other’s shoulders as they panted. 

Finally Mingyu cracked his eyes open to grin lazily down at the man, curling his arms closer around him. 

“Oh my god, Jihoon, you’re so cute.”

Jihoon blinked his eyes open too, to frown back at his neighbor. 

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

Mingyu shrugged. 

“Exactly what I said.”

He smacked a sloppy kiss on the man’s cheek, giggling at the way he pouted. 

“I’m glad you finally spoke up.”

Jihoon closed his eyes again, feeling exhausted. 

“I’m just glad I finally got your attention.”

Mingyu cooed affectionately at him and cuddled closer, and if Jihoon’s eyes had been open he would’ve rolled them. 

_ “Nevermind…” _

“Nope, you said it, no take-backs.”

The taller man giggled, kissing him again. 

“Careful what you wish for, now you’ll never be able to get rid of me.”

“I wouldn’t regret that.”

Jihoon mumbled against the man’s skin as he tucked himself beneath his chin, the tips of his ears burning red at the way Mingyu swooned. 

“Oh my god, see! You’re doing it again! Being really cute!”

_ “Shut up!” _

Jihoon squeaked. He was going to have to change his life motto at this rate, because being around Kim Mingyu seemed to make him say really embarrassing stuff all the time. 

Mingyu buried his face in Jihoon’s hair as he laughed, delighted instead of deterred by the snappy response, cuddling the man closer against his chest. 

Well, maybe saying embarrassing shit was a sacrifice Jihoon was willing to make. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> btw im wooziwinks on twit


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